Chicago authorities released a body camera video Thursday showing 13-year-old Adam Toledo being shot by police officers on March 29.
Citizen Free Press crews looked at the footage, which appears to show less than a second between the time Adam Toledo pulls out a pistol and an officer fires a single fatal shot that hits him in the chest.
“Incredibly difficult to see”
At a press conference hours before the video was released, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she had seen the footage. In this regard, he noted that they are “incredibly difficult to see.”
“As a mother, this is not something you want children to see,” Lightfoot pointed out.
In a joint statement also Thursday, the mayor’s office and attorneys for Adam’s family said they met on Wednesday. “Both parties agree that all material should be published, including a slowed down compilation of the events” that led to Adam’s death, they added.
The teenager died after being shot on the morning of March 29, when officers responding to a call for “shooting” on the city’s West Side saw “two men in a nearby alley,” according to police. One of those individuals was armed, authorities said, and escaped. An officer opened fire and hit a person in the chest.
“We recognize that the release of this video is the first step in the process for the family, the community and our city to heal,” the joint statement said. “We understand that posting this video will be incredibly painful and will elicit an emotional response from all who view it. And we ask that people express themselves peacefully.
Mayor says she saw no evidence Adam Toledo fired
At her press conference, Mayor Lightfoot noted that there was no evidence in the images she reviewed that Adam Toledo shot the officers.
“I don’t want to get into the real substance of this because the independent investigation is ongoing. But, I have not seen any evidence that Adam Toledo fired at the police, “Lightfoot said.
He also said officers tried to provide help immediately after the shooting.
Adam Toledo’s family viewed the video Tuesday and requested that those images and other evidence not be immediately released to the public. This was indicated this week by the Civil Office of Responsibility of the Chicago Police (COPA, for its centuries in English) in a statement. The agency is charged with investigating all shootings involving police officers.
“COPA has remained sensitive to the pain of the family. And disclose this in accordance with the Video Publication Policy of the city, “said the entity this Wednesday.
“COPA’s core values of integrity and transparency are essential to building public trust. Especially in incidents involving an officer involved in shootings. And we are unwavering in our commitment to uphold these values, “added the entity.
Peaceful protests
In a previous statement, the law firm representing Adam Toledo’s family said that watching the video was “extremely difficult and heartbreaking for everyone present.” Especially for the family, he said.
“We also want to thank the leaders and members of the Latino community for remaining peaceful in their protests and demands for justice,” the statement said. “The best way to honor Adam’s memory is to refrain from violence and work constructively for reform,” he added.
Lightfoot and community leaders called on the protesters to peacefully protest after the video was released.
The release of the images comes as the country once again focuses on the unrest in the Minneapolis area. Precisely where ex-cop Derek Chauvin faces a trial for the death of George Floyd. Also where protests have sparked after the police shooting 20-year-old Daunte Wright, who claimed his life at Brooklyn Center on Sunday.
Police say agent killed young black man by mistake 1:55When Lightfoot was asked Wednesday if she would prefer to see the video released after Chauvin’s trial, the mayor said it was “not really part of the calculation.”
“It’s about being respectful and balancing the need for transparency with this grieving family, which is going through an extraordinarily difficult time,” he added.
New Chicago Police Order
Before the video was released, the Chicago Police Department issued a new order to its officers. The guideline governs some conduct in the protests.
According to the new measure, police officers will not “interrupt, intimidate, harass or discriminate, or arrest”, nor will they “comment on opinions”, “use force as punishment or retaliation”, “hinder or prevent the public from recording the Department members “or” will question participants about their views “during demonstrations under the First Amendment, except in very limited circumstances.
Together, the two orders restrict interactions between police and protesters exercising First Amendment rights. But they do instruct them to distinguish between these and the “disruptive, violent, criminal, or wanton behavior of crowd members.”
Police can still order dispersal, make arrests, and use pepper spray in cases where certain conditions are met.
Hollie Silverman, Brad Parks and Joe Sutton, all from Citizen Free Press, contributed to this report.